Originally from Finland, Parisienne by marriage. Happy mother of a happy daughter. I have traveled in more than sixty countries for pleasure and work. Love cooking, restaurants and food markets. Design and architecture catch my eye. This blog is about everyday life in Paris, past memories converted into travel stories and new adventures.

Oysters – what else?

Yesterday we opened the box of oysters that waited for me in front of our front door last Saturday, on A special day! There were just over three dozens of size two Jean d’Cancale oysters inside and they were fresh as hell. What a lunch. Thank you again those who gave me this lovely present.

PS Since some of you have started wondering if oysters are part of my daily nutrition (they are not, I assure you!), I will try to keep a short break from any oyster-related posts and references… at least until Christmas!

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5 thoughts on “Oysters – what else?”

Hi Miia: I came across your blog while planning an upcoming trip to Brittany. I enjoyed your posts on Oysters! Have you been to Brittany in May? We are going for the seafood, and I am concerned that many of my favourites (oysters, mussels, etc.) may not be served when not “in season”

Hi Sharon! Happy new year and sorry for taking time to respond to you! Where exactly will you go to in Brittany? Yes, I have been there many times in May. My husband has family there and we go there few times a year so do not hesitate to ask for tips 🙂 !! As for the seafood: you will always find oysters, even in summer, but they may be a bit milky.. But what they are like in May will depend on the spring: if the spring is cold, they can be just fine in May, but the hotter the spring, the milkier they become. For example, July and Aug were hot in France last year, and I did find the oysters a bit milky in September, which is the first official “r” month…). For mussels, the season is from July to November and for scallops (Saint Jacques) the season is from October to April. You will find mussels and scallops outside the season, but they may be frozen…
Lastly, do not forget to taste “boulots”!!
Hope this helps 🙂

I have convinced myself to go in April instead, so we will be in Brittany most likely April 22 – 26, hopefully in time for the coquille st Jacques (maybe even see a bit of the festival). The hotel you mentioned in your earlier post (Le Querrian) looks like a good possibility for Cancale. I think we will train from Paris to Rennes, and then rent a car, and base ourselves in one place for 4 nights, before continuing to Normandy. It is just my and my partner – I had thought perhaps of finding a more “resort-y” type accommodation with a pool, since it will be too cold to go in the sea, but any I find seems very budget/family oriented, more like camping – do you have any suggestions for accommodations in other towns in the area?

Regarding accommodation: you may have to head toward bigger cities to find resort-type hotels… How about St Malo which is very close to Cancale and other nice places? It has a different feeling than Cancale: St Malo is a city and Cancale a village. I personally always stay in small places just bc/ life in Paris is hectic enough but everyone has his/her taste and priorities!

You could even take a train all the way to St Malo from Paris. My parents once stayed in St Malo, took a train to Paris (with a change in Rennes), and it was super easy.